Battle of Beth Horon (66)

The Battle of Beth Horon was a major battle of the First Jewish-Roman War, fought in 66 AD. A force of lightly-armed Jews ambushed and destroyed Legio XII Fulminata as it withdrew from Jerusalem, inspiring the Jewish rebels.

Battle
Following several successes by the Jewish rebels across Judea, the Roman pronconsul in Syria Cestius Gallus was dispatched south with 30,000 troops to crush the uprising. He sought to seize Jerusalem in order to restore order, but the siege failed, and his legions were ambushed at the Beth Horon pass as they withdrew towards the Mediterranean coast. Lightly-armed Jewish rebels wielding javelins, slings, and bows encircled them and inflicted huge losses. Legio XII Fulminata was annihilated, the army's siege weapons were captured, and the legion's aquila standard was captured. Gallus' punitive campaign was a disaster, emboldening the rebels.